Heel and shank support.



R. MEGOW.

HEEL AND SHANK SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED APR.8. 1918.

1 ,27 3,080. Patented July 16, 1918.

Tan snares manna @TFTQE.

ROBERT MEGOW, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

HEEL AND SHANK SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1918.

Application filed April s, 1918. Serial No. 227,174.

Shank Supports; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in'the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention has for its object to provide an extremely simple and highly efii cient heel and shank support or reinforcement especially adapted for use to reinforce and support the high heels of ladies shoes.

These high heels which vary in type from whatis known as the Cuban, military, 'or French heels, are almost certain sooner or later to lose position in respect 'to the shoe, because there is an inherent weakness at the point where the shank passes under the heel and because these high heels produce great strain at such points.

Various devices have been devised for reinforcing these heels and holding the same in position, but all thereof known to me have out or disappears at the apex of the centerbeen'subject to one or more serious defects. It is the common practice in heels of the above character to drive a long nail through the heel midway between the sides and quite close to the front of the heel. A single pointed reinforcement when centrally located will almost invariably strike this nail.

and be deflected out of its proper central position.

The improved device which is the subject of this application, is stamped or pressed from a single piece of sheet steel and is formed at its chisel or wedge end with a pair of laterally spaced fiat chisel-like pointed prongs with a ll-shaped centering'notch between them. The so-called heel support is best when made of thin sheet steel and when made of such material requires a stifi'eningcorrugation to give the desired strength to support the heel. This corrugation is pressed from the under side of the reinforcing plate, is extended less than from end to end ofthe plate, and one'of its corrugations runs ing notch.

In -the accompanying drawings Which.

illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views. v

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig.- 4: is a transverse section on the line 44ofFig.2; p

Fig. 5 .is a side elevation with some parts broken away and some parts sectioned, showing a shoe with the support applied; and

Fig. 6 is v a side elevation showing a brokendown heel before the shank is applied.

The shoe is indicated as anentirety by the numeral 7. The heel and shank reinforcement is, as stated, stamped or pressed from a single piece of thin sheet steel 8 which preferably has a spring temper. or, at any rate, is very stiff and, at' the same time, not brittle. At its driving end it has thelaterally spaced, chisel edgedpointed prongs 9 and between them the V-shaped centering notch 10. Its reinforcing corrugation'll has maximum depth at its central portion and diminishes to zero at its ends. end this reinforcing corrugation 11 extends to the apex of the centering notch 10 so that it has its maximum reinforcing action, that is reinforces the plate up to the very apex of the notch. At its outer end the plate is provided with holes through which small screws or nails, such as the Baker Holdfast are passed and screwed or driven into the shank of the shoe.

In applying this support, it is first advisable to insert a screw driver, for instance, at the breast of the heel, far enough to allow the plate to be slightly inserted. Then drive the plate or support between the shank ahd heel until the apex or centering notch strikes against the nail 7 of the heel. This in a new shoe will reinforce the heel so that it will always maintain its proper position, and when thus applied in a dilapidated heel will force the same back to its proper position and thereafter support the same in the proper or original position.

The nail of the heel instead of being an obstruction is thus utilized to properly center the reinforcing plate oriso-called shank and heel support and the corrugation of the plate will extend its reinforcement from the nail forward to a point considerably in front of the heel. The strongest part of the. reinforcing corrugation 11 will then be at approximately a point of junction between the shank and the heel of the shoe, and there willvbe no danger of breaking or bending of the shoe at-that point.

Obviously, the so-called. shank-and heelshoes stamped from asingle piece of sheet metal, and formed at its driving end with laterally spaced fiat prongs with a V-shaped centering notch between them, thesaid plate having a displaced centrally located,longi-- centrally located nail in the heel thereof, of

a heel and shanksupporting plate having at tudinal corrugation diminishing and terminating at the apex of said centering notch.

2. The combination with a shoe having a its driving end laterally spaced flat prongs with a V-shaped centering notch between them, the said plate being driven into the heel adjacent to the shank'with the prongs with the desired results I "straddling the said nail and centered thereby, the outer end of said plate being secured to the shank of the shoe. 7

3; The combination with a shoe having a centrally located nail in the heel thereof, of a heel and shank supporting plate having at its driving end laterally spaced flat prongs straddling the said nail and centered therehaving a displaced reinforcing corrugation with a V-shaped centering notch between 0 them, the said plate being driven into the heel adjacent to the shank with the prongs diminishing and terminating at the apex of said centering notch.

4. A heel and shank support plate for shoes stamped from a single piece of sheet metal, the completed plate having substantially the same thickness throughout, and provided with alaterally displaced corru' gation tapering toward its driving end and disappearing short of its driven end and adapted to follow the driving end into the heel of the shoe under the driving action.-

In testimony Whereof,I'aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses,

ROBERT MEGOW..

Witnesses:

- CLARA DEMAREs'r,

B. G. BAUMANN. 

